Suzanne Fields makes a point here that we are behind other countries in Math and Science and it is just a disgrace. I agree. I also think this is a logical outcome of our current pedagogical philosophy coupled with recent government plans to “fix things”.

In the study Fields references, the U.S. is performing in the top 10 for science and the top 20 for math. That is clearly not a shabby performance. That still puts us in the 90% percentile of nations on the planet. Yet she laments that we didn’t “win”. Well frankly, we’re not trying to. Current trends in education are focusing on the philosophy of “No Child Left Behind”. The federal program aside, the idea is clear, we don’t want anyone to fail. But what we seem to be losing site of is that not losing is a very different strategy than winning. Looked at statistically, raising the average is not the same as minimizing the deviation. The tools you employ to achieve those goals are different – especially in an arena where resources are finite. And yes, the resources we can pour into education are finite.

There is a Darwinian aspect to life that modern U.S. culture seems unwilling to acknowledge. Life, by it’s very nature exists across the full spectrum. And while everyone is created equal under the law, that does not make them equal in ability.

I’m not suggesting that we abandon the intellectually challenged, but in the same spirit that not all kids will be varsity athletes, a start would be to acknowledge that all kids are not great scholars. In the same way that gangly kids still take gym class and play youth soccer, opportunities and encouragement should continue to exist for all students. But does it make sense as a coach to focus on getting the kid picking grass in the goal to play at an average level, or to focus on training your best athletes and hope to inspire some grass pickers along the way?

Until scholarship in general is seen as a good thing; until we elevate exceptional students to the level of exceptional athletes; we will not win the battle for global scholarship excellence. We are a long way from that world. We focus most of our energy on getting the grass pickers to engage. Meanwhile, our stars get ignored and even ostracized for having the audacity to play better than their peers. This is not a strategy to win.